Ue Capability Reporting and Bd/Cce Limit Determination with Multi-Cell Scheduling Dci

The present application claims priority of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/409,640, filed on Sep. 23, 2022, entitled “UE CAPABILITY REPORTING AND BD/CCE LIMIT DETERMINATION WITH MULTI-CELL SCHEDULING DCI,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety.

Wireless communication networks provide integrated communication platforms and telecommunication services to wireless user devices. Example telecommunication services include telephony, data (e.g., voice, audio, and/or video data), messaging, internet-access, and/or other services. The wireless communication networks have wireless access nodes that exchange wireless signals with the wireless user devices using wireless network protocols, such as protocols described in various telecommunication standards promulgated by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Example wireless communication networks include code division multiple access (CDMA) networks, time division multiple access (TDMA) networks, frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) networks, orthogonal frequency-division multiple access (OFDMA) networks, Long Term Evolution (LTE), and Fifth Generation (5G) New Radio (NR). The wireless communication networks facilitate mobile broadband service using technologies such as OFDM, multiple input multiple output (MIMO), advanced channel coding, massive MIMO, beamforming, and/or other features.

A user device, such as user equipment (UE), communicates with an access node, such as a base station, in one or more cells. In recent communication technologies, the cells are often referred to as component carriers (CCs). Each cell corresponds to a subcarrier spacing (SCS), also referred to as numerology. A UE and a base station can communicate in communication channels, such as physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) and physical downlink shared channel (PDSCH), using one or more cells. These channels need to be scheduled so resources are allocated for the communication.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a processor has circuitry that executes instructions to cause a UE to perform operations. The operations include determining a capability of communicating with a base station using a plurality of cells. The operations include identifying, among the plurality of cells, one or more groups of cells, wherein the cells in each group are schedulable by a same downlink control information (DCI) signal in a scheduling cell. The operations include determining a number of the one or more groups. The operations include reporting the number of the one or more groups to the base station.

In some implementations, the operations further include determining a maximum number of the cells in each group; and reporting the maximum number of the cells in each group to the base station.

In some implementations, the operations further include determining a capability that the cells in each group include the scheduling cell; and reporting the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the operations further include determining a capability that the cells in each group do not include the scheduling cell; and reporting the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the operations further include determining a capability that the cells in each group have a same SCS; and reporting the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the operations further include determining a capability that the cells in each group have different SCSs; and reporting the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the operations further include determining a capability that the scheduling cell has the same SCS as the SCS of the cells in each group; and reporting the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the operations further include determining a capability that the scheduling cell has a SCS that is different from the SCS of at least one of the cells in each group; and reporting the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the reported number includes at least one of: a maximum number of groups of cells supported by the UE; a maximum number of groups of cells supported by each of a first frequency range (FR) and a second FR; a maximum number of groups of cells collectively supported by a plurality of bands; or a maximum number of groups of cells supported by each of the plurality of bands.

In some implementations, the reported maximum number of the cells in each group includes at least one of: a maximum number of the cells in each group supported by the UE; a maximum number of the cells in each group supported by each of a first FR and a second FR; a maximum number of the cells in each group collectively supported by a plurality of bands; or a maximum number of the cells in each group supported by each of the plurality of bands.

In accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure, a UE has a memory, a processor, and a transmitter. The processor, when executing instructions stored in the memory, causes the UE to determine a capability of communicating with a base station using a plurality of cells. The processor causes the UE to identify, among the plurality of cells, one or more groups of cells, wherein the cells in each group are schedulable by a same DCI signal in a scheduling cell. The processor also causes the UE to determine a number of the one or more groups. The transmitter reports the number of the one or more groups to the base station.

In some implementations, the processor determines a maximum number of the cells in each group, and the transmitter reports the maximum number of the cells in each group to the base station.

In some implementations, the processor determines a capability that the cells in each group include the scheduling cell, and the transmitter reports the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the processor determines a capability that the cells in each group do not include the scheduling cell, and the transmitter reports the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the processor determines a capability that the cells in each group have a same SCS, and the transmitter reports the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the processor determines a capability that the cells in each group have different SCSs, and wherein the transmitter reports the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the processor determines a capability that the scheduling cell has the same SCS as the SCS of the cells in each group, and the transmitter reports the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the processor determines a capability that the scheduling cell has a SCS that is different from the SCS of at least one of the cells in each group, and the transmitter reports the capability to the base station.

In some implementations, the reported number includes at least one of: a maximum number of groups of cells supported by the UE; a maximum number of groups of cells supported by each of a first FR and a second FR; a maximum number of groups of cells collectively supported by a plurality of bands; or a maximum number of groups of cells supported by each of the plurality of bands.

In some implementations, the reported maximum number of the cells in each group includes at least one of: a maximum number of the cells in each group supported by the UE, a maximum number of the cells in each group supported by each of a first FR and a second FR, a maximum number of the cells in each group collectively supported by a plurality of bands, or a maximum number of the cells in each group supported by each of the plurality of bands.

The details of one or more implementations of these systems and methods are set forth in the accompanying drawings and the description below. Other features, objects, and advantages of these systems and methods will be apparent from the description and drawings, and from the claims.

PUSCH and PDSCH communications are scheduled by DCI. A base station, such as an e-NodeB (eNB) or a g-NodeB (gNB), can transmit a DCI signal in a cell to a UE to schedule PUSCH or PDSCH communications in one or more cells. The cell in which the DCI signal is transmitted is referred to as the scheduling cell, and the one or more cells in which there are data transmissions (e.g., PUSCH or PDSCH transmissions) scheduled by the DCI signal are referred to as scheduled cells. A data transmission in a cell can be scheduled by a DCI signal transmitted in that cell. This mechanism is referred to as self-scheduling. A data transmission in a cell can also be scheduled by a DCI signal transmitted in another cell. This mechanism is referred to as cross-scheduling.

Conventionally, a single DCI signal can only schedule one cell. This type of DCI is referred to as single-cell DCI. With the development of wireless technology, it is desirable for a UE to support reception of scheduling of data transmissions in multiple cells using a single DCI signal to improve communication efficiency. This type of DCI is referred to as multi-cell DCI. The cells scheduled by a single multi-cell DCI signal are referred to as co-scheduled cells.

A UE can be configured with multiple groups of cells, and each group of cells can be scheduled by a multi-cell DCI signal. To schedule PUSCH or PDSCH communications with multi-cell DCI, the base station would want to obtain information about the UE's capability, such as the maximum number of cells in a group or the maximum number of groups. Thus, it is desirable to have a mechanism for the UE to report its capability relating to multi-cell DCI scheduling.

In addition, a UE monitors the cells for possible DCI signals transmitted in a downlink control channel, such as physical downlink control channel (PDCCH). The downlink control channel has a number of resource candidates, which correspond to a number of blind decoding or control channel elements (BD/CCEs), for the DCI transmission. Because monitoring too many resource candidates may be impractical for the UE, there typically is an upper limit of BD/CCEs set for the monitored cells. In conventional single-cell DCI scheduling, the upper limit can be directly determined based on the SCS of a scheduled cell. For example, the maximum number of BDs per cell per slot for SCS of 30 kHz (numerology μ=1) is provided as 36, and the maximum number of BDs per cell per slot for SCS of 120 kHz (numerology μ=3) is provided as 20.

With multi-cell DCI scheduling, one DCI signal can simultaneously schedule multiple cells that the UE monitors. As such, instead of counting the BD/CCEs separately for each schedulable/scheduled cell, it may be advantageous to count the BD/CCEs provided for the cells schedulable by multi-cell DCI towards the scheduling cell, i.e., as if the BD/CCEs are provided for the scheduling cell. This counting approach thus calls for a mechanism for the UE to determine the upper limit of BD/CCEs in each cell for multi-cell DCI scheduling.

This disclosure is made in light of the above challenges. As described in detail below, implementations of this disclosure provide mechanisms for a UE to report its capability relating to multi-cell DCI scheduling to a base station. Also, implementations of this disclosure provide mechanisms for a UE to determine the maximum number of BD/CCEs for multi-cell DCI scheduling. With one or more features describe below, the UE and the base station can properly perform multi-cell DCI scheduling for PDSCH/PUSCH communications without significant increase of the UE complexity.

illustrates a wireless network, according to some implementations. The wireless networkincludes a UEand a base stationconnected via one or more channelsA,B across an air interface. The UEand base stationcommunicate using a system that supports controls for managing the access of the UEto a network via the base station.

In some implementations, the wireless networkmay be a Non-Standalone (NSA) network that incorporates LTE and 5G NR communication standards as defined by the 3GPP technical specifications. For example, the wireless networkmay be a E-UTRA (Evolved Universal Terrestrial Radio Access)-NR Dual Connectivity (EN-DC) network, or a NR-EUTRA Dual Connectivity (NE-DC) network. However, the wireless networkmay also be a Standalone (SA) network that incorporates only 5G NR. Furthermore, other types of communication standards are possible, including future 3GPP systems (e.g., Sixth Generation (6G)) systems, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11 technology (e.g., IEEE 802.11a; IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE 802.11-2007; IEEE 802.11n; IEEE 802.11-2012; IEEE 802.11ac; or other present or future developed IEEE 802.11 technologies), IEEE 802.16 protocols (e.g., WMAN, WiMAX, etc.), or the like. While aspects may be described herein using terminology commonly associated with 5G NR, aspects of the present disclosure can be applied to other systems, such as 3G, 4G, and/or systems subsequent to 5G (e.g., 6G).

In the wireless network, the UEand any other UE in the system may be, for example, laptop computers, smartphones, tablet computers, machine-type devices such as smart meters or specialized devices for healthcare, intelligent transportation systems, or any other wireless devices with or without a user interface. In network, the base stationprovides the UEnetwork connectivity to a broader network (not shown). This UEconnectivity is provided via the air interfacein a base station service area provided by the base station. In some implementations, such a broader network may be a wide area network operated by a cellular network provider, or may be the Internet. Each base station service area associated with the base stationis supported by antennas integrated with the base station. The service areas are divided into a number of sectors associated with certain antennas. Such sectors may be physically associated with fixed antennas or may be assigned to a physical area with tunable antennas or antenna settings adjustable in a beamforming process used to direct a signal to a particular sector.

The UEincludes control circuitrycoupled with transmit circuitryand receive circuitry. The transmit circuitryand receive circuitrymay each be coupled with one or more antennas. The control circuitrymay include various combinations of application-specific circuitry and baseband circuitry. The transmit circuitryand receive circuitrymay be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, and may include radio frequency (RF) circuitry or front-end module (FEM) circuitry.

In various implementations, aspects of the transmit circuitry, receive circuitry, and control circuitrymay be integrated in various ways to implement the operations described herein. The control circuitrymay be adapted or configured to perform various operations such as those described elsewhere in this disclosure related to a UE. For instance, the control circuitrycan determine the capability of the UErelating to multi-cell DCI scheduling and count BD/CCE limits for each monitored cell.

The transmit circuitrycan perform various operations described in this specification. For example, the transmit circuitrycan transmit a message to report the capability of the UEto the base station. Additionally, the transmit circuitrymay transmit a plurality of multiplexed uplink physical channels. The plurality of uplink physical channels may be multiplexed according to time division multiplexing (TDM) or frequency division multiplexing (FDM) along with carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitrymay be configured to receive block data from the control circuitryfor transmission across the air interface.

The receive circuitrycan perform various operations described in this specification. For instance, the receive circuitrycan receive DCI that schedules one or more cells via the air interface. Additionally, the receive circuitrymay receive a plurality of multiplexed downlink physical channels from the air interfaceand relay the physical channels to the control circuitry. The plurality of downlink physical channels may be multiplexed according to TDM or FDM along with carrier aggregation. The transmit circuitryand the receive circuitrymay transmit and receive both control data and content data (e.g., messages, images, video, etc.) structured within data blocks that are carried by the physical channels.

also illustrates the base station. In implementations, the base stationmay be an NG radio access network (RAN) or a 5G RAN, an E-UTRAN, a non-terrestrial cell, or a legacy RAN, such as a UTRAN or GERAN. As used herein, the term “NG RAN” or the like may refer to the base stationthat operates in an NR or 5G wireless network, and the term “E-UTRAN” or the like may refer to a base stationthat operates in an LTE or 4G wireless network. The UEutilizes connections (or channels)A,B, each of which includes a physical communications interface or layer.

The base stationcircuitry may include control circuitrycoupled with transmit circuitryand receive circuitry. The transmit circuitryand receive circuitrymay each be coupled with one or more antennas that may be used to enable communications via the air interface. The transmit circuitryand receive circuitrymay be adapted to transmit and receive data, respectively, to any UE connected to the base station. The transmit circuitrymay transmit downlink physical channels includes of a plurality of downlink subframes. The receive circuitrymay receive a plurality of uplink physical channels from various UEs, including the UE.

In, the one or more channelsA,B are illustrated as an air interface to enable communicative coupling, and can be consistent with cellular communications protocols, such as a GSM protocol, a CDMA network protocol, a UMTS protocol, a 3GPP LTE protocol, an Advanced long term evolution (LTE-A) protocol, a LTE-based access to unlicensed spectrum (LTE-U), a 5G protocol, a NR protocol, an NR-based access to unlicensed spectrum (NR-U) protocol, and/or any of the other communications protocols discussed herein. In implementations, the UEmay directly exchange communication data via a ProSe interface. The ProSe interface may alternatively be referred to as a sidelink (SL) interface and may include one or more logical channels, including but not limited to a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Control Channel (PSCCH), a Physical Sidelink Discovery Channel (PSDCH), and a Physical Sidelink Broadcast Channel (PSBCH).

As discussed above, UEcan be configured to communicate with base stationin multiple cells. These cells can include one or more groups, and each group of cells can be scheduled by a multi-cell DCI signal. As an example, UEis capable of being configured with 8 cells, CC-CC. A maximum of 5 cells, e.g., CC-CC, are schedulable by a multi-cell DCI signal, while the remaining cells, CC-CC, are schedulable by another multi-cell DCI signal. In such a case, the 8 cells include 2 groups: {CC, CC, CC, CC, CC} and {CC, CC, and CC}. The first group has 5 cells and the second group has 3 cells.

In some implementations, UEis configured to report to base stationcapability of supporting groups of cells in multi-cell DCI scheduling. For example, UEcan report the maximum number of groups it can support. Additionally or alternatively, UEcan report the maximum number of cells in each group it can support.

The determining and reporting of (a) the maximum number of cells in a group, and/or (b) the maximum number of groups, can be with different levels of granularity (e.g., level of details). Example levels of granularity include (i) per UE, (ii) for each frequency range (FR), (iii) for each band combination, and (iv) for each band in a band combination.

In the example above where 8 cells are scheduled in two groups by two multi-cell DCI signals, assuming 5 is the maximum number of cells UEcan support in each group, UEcan report 5 to base stationas corresponding to capability (a). Similarly, assuming UEcannot support 3 or more groups of cells, UEcan report 2 to base stationas corresponding to capability (b). The reporting of these capabilities can be considered with a granularity of (i) per UE.

In some implementations, UEfurther determines and reports these capabilities for each FR. For example, UEmay support communication in a first FR (FR1) and a second FR (FR2). UEcan determine and report capabilities (a) and/or (b) separately for communication in FR1 and communication in FR1. The reporting of these capabilities can be considered with a granularity of (ii) for each FR.

In some implementations, UEfurther determines and reports these capabilities for each band combination. For example, UEmay support communication using a first band combination and a second band combination. UEcan determine and report capabilities (a) and/or (b) separately for communication using the first band combination and communication using the second band combination. The reporting of these capabilities can be considered with a granularity of (iii) for each band combination.

In some implementations, UEfurther determines and reports these capabilities for each band in a band combination. For example, UEmay support communication using a band combination of a first band and a second band. UEcan determine and report capabilities (a) and/or (b) separately for communication using the first band and communication using the second band. The reporting of these capabilities can be considered with a granularity of (iv) for each band in a band combination.

The above granularity levels are examples only. The capability reporting can be with other granularity levels in other implementations. Capabilities (a) and (b) can be reported together or separately reported for a given granularity level.

As discussed above, the cell in which the DCI signal is transmitted is referred to as the scheduling cell. For multi-cell DCI scheduling, the scheduling cell may or may not be included in the group of schedulable cells. For example, the scheduling cell of the group {CC, CC, CC, CC, CC} may be CC, which is within the group. Alternatively, the scheduling cell of the group {CC, CC, CC, CC, CC} may be CC, which is not within the group. UEmay or may not have the capability to support either or both of the two alternatives.

In some implementations, UEis configured to report whether it supports (c) the scheduling cell being one of the multiple cells schedulable by a multi-cell DCI signal and/or (d) the scheduling cell not being one of the multiple cells schedulable by a multi-cell DCI signal.